Mary Landrieu: personal credit cards, not business credit cards. so the landrieu-snowe amendment sponsored by yourself and i'm going to get the list of other cosponsors in just a moment -- sponsored by several members of the senate. thank you, don.

Mary Landrieu: sponsored by senator cardin, senator shaheen, senator brown, senator cantwell, senator inouye, senator klobuchar, senator collins, and i think that others will be joining in support of this amendment, we decided to offer an amendment that simply says: the underlying

Mary Landrieu: safeguards for holders of personal credit cards should simply extend to businesses of 50 employees or less up to $25,000 on their business card. because there are many people that carry a personal card for personal business. of course, then they carry their business card for business-related business.

Mary Landrieu: i know we have to give consumers relief, but i'm here to say as the chairman of the small business committee, if we don't give our small businesses some relief, we're not going to have an economy to depend on. because if we're looking for people to create jobs, which is, i think, what the president is?? calling us to going to be created by the small

Mary Landrieu: businesses of america. that is why in this -- in debate the national federation of independent businesses, not a bastion of leralism by any means, is that is why the american society of krafl agents, american

Mary Landrieu: beverage licensees, consumer federation of america, food marketing institute, national association for the self-employed representing millions, tens of millions of self-employed individuals that find it ironic that we say that we're trying to get help to the little guy. we say we're trying to

Mary Landrieu: from wall street to main street. but every time it seems that there are actually amendments on this floor to never seem to be and i know that there are argumentthat say, well, we don't know what the effect of this amendment will be. i can tell you what the affect will be. the small businesses in america,

Mary Landrieu: affected by this, will say thank youor not allowing my rates to go up without notice. thank you for not to paying down $20,000 on my $25,000 balance. thank you because i penny from the tarp at least i'm getting some help through this consumer relief bill.

Mary Landrieu: as i said, the national federation of independent businesses, national small business association, petroleum marketers association america, international, small business majority. and i want to say the hispanic chamber of commerce, the women's chamber of commerce and the black chamber of commerce

Mary Landrieu: all endorsed this we haven't heard yet from the u.s. chamber, but i'm hoping that they will step forward, at least the small business section of the u.s. i understand they represent large banks, credit companies, so it's tough for them but somebody's got to speak up

Mary Landrieu: for small business. and i hope that my colleagues will consider this amendment. i am going to have to call it up for action now and act it up to table. and able to have any discussion on

Mary Landrieu: this because that motion is not -- is not debatable. so that's why i'm speaking about it now. but at least we'll get on the record -- at least we'll get on the record -- how people feel about this. and i'm hoping that we can get a substantial vote. but, madam president, i've decided that even if it's just my vote and the cosponsors a

Mary Landrieu: senator snowe, at least the small business people in america will know that there are some people here that at least understand that they deserve the minimal protections that this bill provides, particularly at this time. and that in the next year or three, four or five, until we

Mary Landrieu: get on safe ground, we need to be doing everything we can to help small businesses. because without them, there will be no recovery. it is not the large businesses that are going to create these jobs. they're going to contract. they're going to redesign themselves. they're going to contract until things are safe. they're going to poke their hd out of that shell when the way is clear.

Mary Landrieu: the people that are going to run out of these small businesses that these people represent. they are the ones that are going to say, no, i'm not tkw-g down. -- i'm not i'm going to hire. i'm going to keep moving forward because i know my idea is good or because i know when i come out of this recession i'll be

Mary Landrieu: able -- these are the people we're going to build this recovery on. and these are the people that need the help today. not to study it for ten years, not to look at it for five years. but these organizations represent the millions of businesses that need help today. so on the behalf of this coalition, i think the facts are on our side.

Mary Landrieu: this is not company amendment. this is a pro-small business amendment. i know people have to make money. everybody has to make money. everybody's trying to do what they can. but there's no excuse right now when small businesses have to rely, as i said, 60% of our small businesses -- and this an average. in some states it pbably could

Mary Landrieu: be up to 70% of small businesses. in some states maybe it's below 50% or 45%. but it's still a significant number of businesses using credit cards to help finance their business. let's give them a little help today. so i move to

Mary Landrieu: there the amendment is now ms. landrieu: madam president, i would like to -- in order for me to get a vote on this amendment, i'm going to have to ask the amendment to be tabled. i'd like to ask for the amendment to be tabled. of course i will be voting not to table it and will be asking

Mary Landrieu: for the yeas and the presiding officer: is there a sufficient second on the motion to table? at the moment there is ms. landrieu: i'd like to retain the floor. the presiding officer: the motion to table is nondebatable.